Super middleweight champion had made light on social media of violence against women during corona lockdown
Super middleweight world champion Billy Joe Saunders has issued an apology after making a video on social media advising men how the could hit female partners during coronavirus lockdown.
The WBO super middleweight world champion hit a punchbag while describing how to “hit her on the chin” and then “finish her off” Saunders apologised for “offending any women” after a fierce backlash on social media.
“I would never condone domestic violence and if I saw a man touch a woman I would smash him to pieces myself,” Saunders said in a post on Twitter. “Apologies if I offended any women, stay blessed.”
It was the boxer’s second public apology in a fortnight after it was revealed he made a call to an airline, alleging concerns over a potential coronavirus infection, which caused his coach Ben Davison and fellow world champion Josh Taylor to be removed from the flight.
Saunders was preparing for a multi-million-pound world title unification against Saul Canelo Alvarez in May before the coronavirus pandemic.
He has had a long history of controversy and was fined £100,000 by the British Board of Boxing Control after video footage emerged of the boxer offering £150 worth of drugs to a woman to perform a sex act, as well as asking her to punch a passer-by, before driving away.
With no actual boxing taking place, 184,000 viewers on the internet watched a simulated e-version of Muhammad Ali versus Mike Tyson put on by the World Boxing Super Series last night. Tyson beat Ali on the scorecards 114-111 on all three judges’ cards. In an action-packed encounter, Ali dropped Tyson to the canvas in the first round, with Ali down in the second and the fifth rounds.